When you purchase a dog, you want to get the best possible dog. There are a lot of responsible german shepherd dog breeders that follow a number of procedures meant to produce the healthiest and best-behaved dogs possible. However, there are also a lot of puppy mills and places that breed and sell dogs just to make as much money as possible, without paying any attention to the characteristics of the dog. You will want to avoid these places and deal with responsible breeders or rescue organizations in order to purchase your german shepherd.

There are a number of different organizations that list responsible german shepherd dog breeders on their websites, included www.breeders.com, and United Shutzhound Clubs of America (www.germanshepherddog.com). You can also ask your veterinarian if they know of any good breeders, or ask friends who have german shepherds where they got their dog. Even if a breeder is listed with one of these organizations or recommended by someone, you should still check them out and ask a lot of questions to make sure that they do everything possible to breed high quality animals.
When you purchase a puppy from german shepherd dog breeders, you can’t be sure just how the dog will turn out when it grows up. The dog’s personality won’t really be fully developed until it is a few years old. For those who want to be guaranteed a well-behaved dog, you might want to get a fully grown dog from one of the german shepherd rescue organizations. That way there is less chance of surprises.

Even puppies from the best german shepherd dog breeders could turn out to have a less than optimal personality. This is many times more the fault of the owners than the dog itself, however. These dogs need to be properly trained, and they need to be shown who is in charge. They also need to have lots of exercise and stimulation, otherwise they will get bored and start causing trouble out of boredom. If you get a puppy you will want to train him to obey you and all the members of your family, and you will want to do this as much as possible through positive reinforcement. These dogs don’t respond well to any harsh training methods.